I was getting ready for work when I got a notification on my phone. Jose Fernandez, the young superstar pitcher for the Marlins, had died in a boating accident. My first reaction when I heard the news was, No! No! No! Not again! Back in 2014, young Cardinals outfielder Oscar Taveras was killed in a car crash. As a Cardinal fan, my mind immediately raced to flashbacks of the night I heard about that. Taveras had just finished his rookie season, not the best year but everyone knew he had the talent. He was going to be a star for years to come. Fernandez was already a star. At the age of 24, he had won Rookie of the Year, was a 2 time all-star and considered one of the best pitchers in baseball. But more important than who he was as a baseball player was who he was as a person. Fernandez had a passion for the game that was infectious. When he was out on the mound, there was a fire in him. He wanted to win and he knew he had the talent to do so. It was going to happen. But at the same time, he also had more fun than maybe anyone else in the league. He remembered one of the key parts to baseball. Playing. He enjoyed everything about it. Fernandez found the right mix of these two emotions. He never let one get too far ahead of the other.
Knowing Fernandez is gone is tragic. A life taken much too soon. And everything about him will be missed. Be it his talent, passion for the game, fun-loving attitude or his movie star smile. Rest In Peace #16. Baseball won't be the same without you.
Monday, September 26, 2016
Wednesday, September 21, 2016
Where, Oh Where Have the Running Backs Gone?
I want to ask a question today. What has happened to the elite running backs in the NFL? Growing up I remember so many great ones. Marshall Faulk, Emmitt Smith, Jerome Bettis to name a few. It seemed like every team had a solid running back. Nowadays great running backs seem few and far between. Adrian Peterson has been one of the best but he is older now and got injured this past week. Todd Gurley has the potential to be really good but the Rams have no passing game whatsoever so teams will be mainly focused on stopping him. Ezekiel Elliot also has potential but he is only 2 games into his NFL career. Doug Martin always seems to be among the rushing leaders by the end of the yeR, but he has never taken the next step to be great. The one player I could see beicoming elite is Le'Veon Bell, but he seems to get suspended as often as Tony Romo gets injured, so we will see how that goes.
The NFL is increasingly becoming a pass-oriented league. Last year there were 7 1,000 yard rushers. 10 years ago, 19 running backs reached that plateau. On the other hand, there were 23 quarterbacks who threw for over 3,000 yards last year as opposed to 14 a decade ago. I get it. Deep passes and high octane, quick score offenses are much flashier and fun to watch, therefore the NFL makes more money. Running the ball takes more time and is not as entertaining to watch for most people.
Personally I disagree. I always loved watching running backs with their skill. Knowing when to be agile and make moves, and when to power over defenders. Running the ball takes a lot of skill and I love watching players excel at that. And let's not forget the unsung heroes of the running game, fullbacks. The guys who would line up in front of the running backs and lead the way. As the running game has steadily decreased, fullbacks have all but gone out of existence. Now teams rarely use a lead blocker, or if they do it is just another running back or a tight end. Running the balm just isn't as important anymore.
Will the running game ever come back like it used to be? Perhaps. Often times in sports, strategies go in cycles. One way gets poulpular for a while, then eventually another way starts to take over because no one else is doing it. So we will see. The elite running backs may yet come back in the NFL. I certainly hope so.
The NFL is increasingly becoming a pass-oriented league. Last year there were 7 1,000 yard rushers. 10 years ago, 19 running backs reached that plateau. On the other hand, there were 23 quarterbacks who threw for over 3,000 yards last year as opposed to 14 a decade ago. I get it. Deep passes and high octane, quick score offenses are much flashier and fun to watch, therefore the NFL makes more money. Running the ball takes more time and is not as entertaining to watch for most people.
Personally I disagree. I always loved watching running backs with their skill. Knowing when to be agile and make moves, and when to power over defenders. Running the ball takes a lot of skill and I love watching players excel at that. And let's not forget the unsung heroes of the running game, fullbacks. The guys who would line up in front of the running backs and lead the way. As the running game has steadily decreased, fullbacks have all but gone out of existence. Now teams rarely use a lead blocker, or if they do it is just another running back or a tight end. Running the balm just isn't as important anymore.
Will the running game ever come back like it used to be? Perhaps. Often times in sports, strategies go in cycles. One way gets poulpular for a while, then eventually another way starts to take over because no one else is doing it. So we will see. The elite running backs may yet come back in the NFL. I certainly hope so.
Thursday, September 15, 2016
Tebowing in Baseball
The latest chapter in the Tim Tebow saga has just begun. But this chapter will not be about football. On September 8, Tebow signed a minor league deal with the New York Mets. Yes, Tim Tebow is officially a baseball player. Tebow had previously held a showcase which was attended by scouts from 28 teams. Reports from the showcase indicate the scouts liked his power and speed. Tebow will begin his baseball career in the Mets instructional league.
The next question is, how will Tebow do as a baseball player? Personally I do not expect much to come of this. Tebow has not played baseball since his junior year in high school. It's not reasonable to expect him to compete against guys 10 years younger than him who have been working at this their whole lives. Tebow definitely has natural ability, but for someone to try to pick up baseball again after over a decade is a lot to ask.
The first thing I thought of when I heard about this was Michael Jordan. Jordan is a Hall of Fame basketball player who decided to play baseball in the middle of his career. As amazing of an athlete as Jordan was, he only made it to AA with the White Sox organization. That is about how I expect Tebow to do. I think he is a good enough athlete and a hard enough worker to make some progress in the minors, but I just can't see him surpassing guys who have dedicated their lives to baseball.
Another interesting aspect in this story is that while in the Instructional League, Tebow will continue will his job as a college football analyst with SEC Network. This will require him to miss practice 2 days a week. For me, this calls into question his commitment. According to Tebow, this is because he had already made a commitment to the network. But Tebow had been working out for his baseball tryout for over a year. And he had to know he would get signed by someone, even if only for the publicity. To me, if he was 100% dedicated he could have made arrangements in plenty of time. I think it will be difficult to miss that much time and still get enough work in.
In the end, I will be rooting for Tebow. I have been a fan of his since he was at Florida. He is a great competitor and seems like a great person. I hope he proves me wrong and goes on to have a good baseball career.
The next question is, how will Tebow do as a baseball player? Personally I do not expect much to come of this. Tebow has not played baseball since his junior year in high school. It's not reasonable to expect him to compete against guys 10 years younger than him who have been working at this their whole lives. Tebow definitely has natural ability, but for someone to try to pick up baseball again after over a decade is a lot to ask.
The first thing I thought of when I heard about this was Michael Jordan. Jordan is a Hall of Fame basketball player who decided to play baseball in the middle of his career. As amazing of an athlete as Jordan was, he only made it to AA with the White Sox organization. That is about how I expect Tebow to do. I think he is a good enough athlete and a hard enough worker to make some progress in the minors, but I just can't see him surpassing guys who have dedicated their lives to baseball.
Another interesting aspect in this story is that while in the Instructional League, Tebow will continue will his job as a college football analyst with SEC Network. This will require him to miss practice 2 days a week. For me, this calls into question his commitment. According to Tebow, this is because he had already made a commitment to the network. But Tebow had been working out for his baseball tryout for over a year. And he had to know he would get signed by someone, even if only for the publicity. To me, if he was 100% dedicated he could have made arrangements in plenty of time. I think it will be difficult to miss that much time and still get enough work in.
In the end, I will be rooting for Tebow. I have been a fan of his since he was at Florida. He is a great competitor and seems like a great person. I hope he proves me wrong and goes on to have a good baseball career.
Thursday, September 8, 2016
Football Standings Predictions
I meant to get this out a little earlier, but oh well. I did a baseball prediction earlier this year (which was horrible), so I figured I would do a football prediction as well. Hopefully this one goes better.
NFC EAST
1. New York Giants
2. Washington Redskins
3. Dallas Cowboys
4. Philadelphia Eagles
I believe this will be a weak division overall. The Giants have the most experience with Manning at QB. Philly and Dallas have rookies at QB so there will probably be some kind of inconsistency there.
NFC North
1. Green Bay Packers
2. Minnesota Vikings
3. Chicago Bears
4. Detroit Lions
If Teddy Bridgewater were healthy, the Vikings would have challenged for the division, but instead it will be Sam Bradford, who has not shown he can stay healthy.
NFC South
1. Carolina Panthers
2. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
3. Atlanta Falcons
4. New Orleans Saints
The Panthers were the best team in football last year. The division will be there's to lose. I think there will be a good battle for second between the youngster Jameis Winston and the veteran Matt Ryan.
NFC West
1. Arizona Cardinals
2. Seattle Seahawks
3. Los Angeles Rams
4. San Francisco 49ers
The Cardinals and Seahawks are very similar teams, both good defenses. I can see either team winning this division.
AFC East
1. Buffalo Bills
2. New England Patiots
3. Miami Dolphins
4. New York Jets
I'm going out on a limb with this one. I like the Bills defense and I think their offense can get the job done. Tom Brady is suspended the first four games so that will give the other teams a chance. And Brady is 39. He has to slow down at some point, right? I could end up very wrong with this one, but I have to take a shot.
AFC North
1 . Cincinnati Bengals
2 Pittsburgh Steelers
3. Baltimore Ravens
4. Cleveland Browns
This division is also a tossup between the Bengals and Steelers. I think I'm one of the few people who has faith in Andy Dalton. I can see him really putting it all together this year.
AFC South
1. Indianapolis Colts
2. Jacksonville Jaguars
3. Houston Texans
4. Tennessee Titans
I see this division being a jumbled mess, with all the teams ending up within a few games. The Colts have experience and I think they have to be better than last year. The Jaguars have a decent all around team and the Texans have one of the best players in the league in JJ Watt. This should be a good race.
NFC West
1. Kansas City Chiefs
2. Denver Broncos
3. Oakland Raiders
4. San Diego Chargers
I see this division being very close as well. The Broncos are the defending champs with arguably the best defense in the league, but have much uncertainty at quarterback. The Chiefs have a solid all around team and I think they can edge past them. The Raiders have a ton of potential if they can put it all together. Then the Chargers always seem to at least put in a decent season. This will also be a good race.
Finally I will throw a Super Bowl Prediction out there.
Arizona Cardinals over the Cincinatti Bengals.
This was a lot of fun to do. We will see how it turns out. Let me know what you think!
NFC EAST
1. New York Giants
2. Washington Redskins
3. Dallas Cowboys
4. Philadelphia Eagles
I believe this will be a weak division overall. The Giants have the most experience with Manning at QB. Philly and Dallas have rookies at QB so there will probably be some kind of inconsistency there.
NFC North
1. Green Bay Packers
2. Minnesota Vikings
3. Chicago Bears
4. Detroit Lions
If Teddy Bridgewater were healthy, the Vikings would have challenged for the division, but instead it will be Sam Bradford, who has not shown he can stay healthy.
NFC South
1. Carolina Panthers
2. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
3. Atlanta Falcons
4. New Orleans Saints
The Panthers were the best team in football last year. The division will be there's to lose. I think there will be a good battle for second between the youngster Jameis Winston and the veteran Matt Ryan.
NFC West
1. Arizona Cardinals
2. Seattle Seahawks
3. Los Angeles Rams
4. San Francisco 49ers
The Cardinals and Seahawks are very similar teams, both good defenses. I can see either team winning this division.
AFC East
1. Buffalo Bills
2. New England Patiots
3. Miami Dolphins
4. New York Jets
I'm going out on a limb with this one. I like the Bills defense and I think their offense can get the job done. Tom Brady is suspended the first four games so that will give the other teams a chance. And Brady is 39. He has to slow down at some point, right? I could end up very wrong with this one, but I have to take a shot.
AFC North
1 . Cincinnati Bengals
2 Pittsburgh Steelers
3. Baltimore Ravens
4. Cleveland Browns
This division is also a tossup between the Bengals and Steelers. I think I'm one of the few people who has faith in Andy Dalton. I can see him really putting it all together this year.
AFC South
1. Indianapolis Colts
2. Jacksonville Jaguars
3. Houston Texans
4. Tennessee Titans
I see this division being a jumbled mess, with all the teams ending up within a few games. The Colts have experience and I think they have to be better than last year. The Jaguars have a decent all around team and the Texans have one of the best players in the league in JJ Watt. This should be a good race.
NFC West
1. Kansas City Chiefs
2. Denver Broncos
3. Oakland Raiders
4. San Diego Chargers
I see this division being very close as well. The Broncos are the defending champs with arguably the best defense in the league, but have much uncertainty at quarterback. The Chiefs have a solid all around team and I think they can edge past them. The Raiders have a ton of potential if they can put it all together. Then the Chargers always seem to at least put in a decent season. This will also be a good race.
Finally I will throw a Super Bowl Prediction out there.
Arizona Cardinals over the Cincinatti Bengals.
This was a lot of fun to do. We will see how it turns out. Let me know what you think!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)